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In My Head | Baby, Not Tonight

Without realizing it when I was writing Baby, Not Tonight, I think this book was a subconscious homage to the TV series Friends. The format is almost episodic. There’s a strong theme of community in this story. Hunter has a large one; Milla has lost most of hers because of Jean-Luc, her ex-boyfriend. There are other themes, of course—dreams, nurturing, food, and sex.

I started this story with only the female protagonist in mind. As her story emerged, she was nothing like my original character. This is why I don’t do character bios. I don’t know who these people are until they show up on the page.

Hunter, to me, is the perfect beta male. I like alphas in books, betas not so much. Too many beta heroes are portrayed as either clueless or doormats. Hunter isn’t either of these, I hope. I think I’m in love with him.

In a romance, even a comedic one, the two lovers need to earn intimacy. I struggled with this in the book because Milla and Hunter meet as total strangers. There needed to be an awkwardness between them as they got to know each other better. Since they’re both highly verbal, they use that weapon as a tool of discovery.

At the end of the story, I want my readers to feel that Milla and Hunter complete each other. That their lives will be more fulfilling together than apart. Of course, every story is a journey, but at the end of a good story, the reader should be able to imagine what happens next. I hope I accomplished that for my readers.

I have an on-going love affair with France and Paris, but not necessarily the French, which is funny, because if I lived anywhere other than the U.S., it would probably be England. When I first started writing, I wrote regency romances. I love London, too, which may be why my next hero is a Brit. He’s no beta, I promise. Check him out.